


Hey Juliet

by Songbird321



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 104th Squad Shenanigans, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Theater, Awkward Romance, Best Friends to Lovers, F/M, Lots and lots of side characters, M/M, More tags to come as needed, Side Relationships - Freeform, lots and lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 15:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7939243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Songbird321/pseuds/Songbird321
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>St. Maria’s Performing Arts Center is putting on a production of the Shakespearean classic Romeo and Juliet. Veteran member Jean Kirschtein is not mad when new comer Eren Jaeger is cast as the lead, he’s just disappointed. Or at least he is until some character study ignites a spark between him and the cast member playing his best friend. Meanwhile, as Eren does his best to learn the ropes at St. Maria’s, he’s incredibly distracted by the sparks that seem to be flying between him and his own love interest, but are the feelings between him and Mikasa real or just a side effect of the show? </p>
<p>It's hard enough performing Shakespeare as it is; it's a whole different ballgame trying to decide between the real and the make-believe while memorizing iambic pentameter. And that only gets harder when you add all the backstage shenanigans, cast bonding, rehearsal hell, and drama of cast romances that comes along with community theater.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Callbacks

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Welcome! I'm glad you clicked the link to this fic. Perhaps you really like highshcool aus, or theater aus, or you like the ships. Either way, I hope you're ready for a whole lot of all of the above. 
> 
> This fic was written as part of the 2016 SNK Minibang. You can find some beautiful artwork for it up on tumblr here and here (links to come soon if you're seeing this before all our work is up!) Note: the artists chose to draw scenes that are later in the fic, just so you know. 
> 
> As with most things I write, this fic got way out of hand in terms of length, and I currently only have two chapters completed. I do, however, have most of the rest of the fic done, I just have to connect some dots, and I should be able to get you the whole thing soon, (I'm going to say within a month cause college.) So watch out for updates to see how the drama unfolds. 
> 
> As a final note, there will be some scene that depict minor violence and blood later on in the fic, as well as some fight scene. Most of the fight scenes/violence are just stage fighting, however, there will be one scene where a fight gets a little bit more real, (nothing graphic, just some minor blood,) but I just wanted to let you all know that now. I'll tell you at the beginning of the chapter in question too. It was just a warning the Minibang mods wanted us to share with you. Along those same lines, there are some side characters who smoke, so I'll mention that too. Nothing big, just some mentions. 
> 
> Thank you all for giving this fic a chance, and I sincerely hope you enjoy!

Mikasa Ackerman had decided that she would never get used to the feeling of an audition. She’d been to more auditions than she could count in the past eighteen years, and she’d been just as nervous for the last one as she had been for the first. And, with this audition currently standing as the most recent, she’d have to admit that she was definitely more nervous now than at her very first audition ever. 

Probably because it was one of her last. Second last of her high school career, at least. And it was a lead role she knew she could get if she worked for it. And working for it meant fighting it out in callbacks. Which was where Mikasa currently found herself, sitting in the soft auditorium seats of St. Maria’s Performing Arts Center, waiting for the directive team to begin the process of weeding them out one-by-one to see who would fill which role. 

Mikasa watched the auditorium begin to fill with St. PAC’s regulars. Jean Kirschtein, Reiner Braun, and Marco Bodt were all in the second row, having a very animated chat about something, (Mikasa was too far away to hear properly.) Christa Lenz and Ymir Nilsen were sitting next to the boys, Ymir playing absently with Christa’s hair as she listened with feigned disinterest to the boys’ conversation, no doubt waiting to jump in with some witty comment. Mikasa’s best friend, Sasha Braus, had elected to sit with her boyfriend, Connie Springer, off to the left instead of joining Mikasa in the fourth row. But Mikasa couldn’t really be mad at her for it; anyone who knew him could see that Connie was uncharacteristically anxious about this audition, and he needed Sasha’s positive vibes more right now. 

Everyone seemed a little more on edge than usual for this audition, Mikasa could feel it in the air. She chalked it up to the fact that they weren’t doing a musical, but one of the most well known tragedies of all time: _Romeo and Juliet_. And something about plays always seemed to up the ante at St. PAC's. In a musical, you could hide some fudged acting behind your singing and dancing. But in a play, all you had were your acting skills, your ability to become a character and tell their story with only your body and voice. Not that musicals were a walk in the park, (they were a whole other level of complexity,) but there was just something about plays that seemed so much more challenging. To Mikasa at least. And she figured the other teens around her were feeling a similar pressure. 

Taking a deep breath to steady her own nerves, Mikasa let her eyes roam away from the people gathered in the seats towards the front of the theater. Nanaba Handle stood at the front with Levi Ackerman, Erwin Smith, Mike Zacharias, and a few other people Mikasa couldn’t see. She guessed they were other St. PAC’s adults, though. There was a group of adult regulars in the shows the theater performed who also opted to direct or assist with the youth shows. It was no surprise that they’d be included in this show: there were plenty of adult roles in _Romeo and Juliet_. And watching them all interact up there was making Mikasa smile. They were joking around just like the teenage boys in front of her. She watched Mike tell a joke, and the group around him laugh. Something about it just made Mikasa happy. 

That’s when she noticed what stood in front of the group of adults: a table full of different stack of paper. The callback scripts.

The callback process usually involved reading a few lines by yourself, reading another scene with a partner, learning an extra dance number, and singing a few bars of a song or two. But again, things were different when it was a play, and a Shakespeare play nonetheless, and one of the most well-known Shakespeare plays on top of that. This callback would be all reading, and all she had to impress the directors with was her ability to read the lines with believable emotion and as many facial expressions as she could manage. 

This would be a fight. And Mikasa was ready to win it. 

“Hey.”

Mikasa craned her neck up to see the shy, smiling face of Bertholdt Hoover as the brunette slipped into the seat next to her. Bertholdt was another St. PAC’s regular, who’d been there even longer than Mikasa, and had been one of her first friends when she’d started. 

“Hey Bert,” Mikasa replied, smiling back. “How’re you?”

“I’m doing alright,” the brunette answered with a nervous laugh. “Just a little nervous.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. This was probably the worst audition of my life,” Mikasa said, shaking her head. 

“What happened?” Bertholdt asked, voice laced with concern. 

“I messed up my monologue,” Mikasa sighed, shaking it off as if it were no big deal. As if her heart weren’t still pounding in her chest with nerve-induced adrenaline. “But they had me go outside and take a breath before trying it again, and I must’ve done something right, cause here I am at callbacks.”

“Hey, that’s a really good sign.” Bertholdt smiled encouragingly. “What did you audition with?”

“The scene from this show where Juliet is talking to the Friar, and they plot her fake death,” Mikasa answered. Bertholdt nodded as if he knew the one, (he probably did; Bertholdt was a known Shakespeare nerd.) “I wanted to do a less well known scene, and this one was shortest so… yeah.”

“Very nice,” Bertholdt nodded again with an approving smile. “And now you have another scene memorized.” He grinned at her, implying more than Mikasa was willing to accept at the moment. 

“That I do,” Mikasa replied with a sideways smile. “Assuming I get the part.”

“Assuming you get the part,” Bertholdt amended with a nod of agreement. 

“What did you audition with?” 

“Hamlet’s soliloquy from act one scene two,” Bertholdt answered plainly. 

Mikasa raised an eyebrow. “To be or not to be?”

“Not quite,” the brunette laughed. “That one’s a little long.”

“Yeah, seems like it,” Mikasa replied. 

“’Seems madam? Nay, it is. I know not seems,’” Bertholdt sighed dramatically, sitting back father in his seat. Mikasa laughed, recognizing both the boy’s acting voice and his habit of spitting out lines when he was nervous. 

“More _Hamlet_?” the girl guessed. 

“It is my favorite.” Bertholdt smiled. Mikasa shook her head, pretending to judge him for his love of Shakespeare. It didn’t seem to phase Bertholdt, though, as he asked: “Did you just audition tonight, then?”

The girl nodded. “And you were yesterday?” Bertholdt nodded. “Who else auditioned with you?”

“Reiner, Annie, Jean, Christa, Ymir,” the brunette said, ticking off on his fingers as he listed off their friends. “A lot of new people. I know Sasha and Marco were here earlier today…”

“Connie was with them too,” Mikasa added. “And we had quite a few new people as well.” Even as she spoke, the girl spotted a few new faces entering the auditorium and sitting in the first few rows of seats. “I’m excited.”

“Me too. I think this is going to be a great show,” Bertholdt said, a soft smile working its way up its lips. It was a smile Mikasa only saw on him a few times in the past, a smile he only wore when something beautiful was playing out in his head. 

“We don’t even know the cast yet,” the girl laughed.

“Doesn’t matter. This is such a timeless tale, it’ll be beautiful no matter how we portray it.” 

Mikasa could only stare at the boy next to her, astounded by his words, as he continued to stare straight ahead. Something about that smile he wore calmed her nerves even more. Bertholdt was anxious by nature, and while that anxiety seemed to hinder him off the stage, he was somehow able to channel it into magic on stage. He usually was a puddle of nerves at callbacks, though. Seeing him so confident now made a world of difference. If the village worrier was prepared for this callback, Mikasa could be too. 

“Alright! Welcome, everyone!” Nanaba's voice called out, echoing around the large auditorium. The people fell silent as their director waved from the front of the room. The blonde woman stood before the table of papers with a smile on her face. Levi and Oluo both stood behind her. “Thank you for coming out. I hope you’re here for _Romeo and Juliet_ callbacks. If not, I kindly suggest you leave now.”

Mikasa watched as Mike Zacharius and Erwin Smith stood up from their seats and started walking out. 

“Very funny, you two,” Nanaba deadpanned, resisting an eye roll as Mike and Erwin sat down and high fived quietly. “Before we begin, I’d just like to give you all a little bit of background on our show. My name is Nanaba Handel, and I’m going to be your director and set designer for this show. To my left, we have Levi Ackerman, assistant director and fight chorographer.” She gestured to the shorter man with his trademark scowl on his face, leaning back in a folding chair and staring at the assembled crowd with a look of disinterest. “And this is Oluo Bossard, Stage Manager and another assistant director.” She gestured to the man on her right, who gave a short wave to the people, trying to keep a straight face like Levi’s. “We will be your directive team. Rehearsals will be on Mondays and Wednesdays from six to nine, and on Saturdays from 11 to 2. The show runs Friday, March 6th through Sunday the 8th, with a preview night on Thursday the 5th. That means tech week will begin on Saturday, February 28th. You will be required to be at all tech week rehearsals, and expected to be at all regular rehearsals. And that’s about it for now. Who’s ready to get this show on the road?” 

“Woo!” someone cheered from the crowd, pumping a fist in the air. Mikasa wasn’t surprised to discover that it was Connie, well known at St. PAC’s for his sense of humor, (and his incredible dancing, but that wasn't relevant at the moment.) The boy seemed to be doing a lot better than before, smiling with his arm around Sasha’s shoulders. 

“That’s the kind of enthusiasm we’re looking for,” Nanaba exclaimed, pointing to Connie with a look of approval. She then turned back to the table covered with papers, and grabbed a stack. “So, here’s how we’ll do this. I’m going to hand out two different scenes: one for my Juliets, and the other for a number of my younger men. We’re going to be working Romeo, Benvolio, Mercutio, and Tybalt, so don’t get too familiar with a particular role; we’re testing you out for all of them. I’m going to work through my guys first, so Juliets, just familiarize yourselves with the scene while I work with the guys. Then I’ll have another scene prepping for Capulet, Montague, and the Prince while our Juliets read. Sound good?”

A chorus of ‘yes’ and ‘sounds good’ echoed around the room. And without further ado, callbacks began. The guys read their scene (an altercation between Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, and Tybalt.) Mikasa laughed along with Sasha and Annie, watching the boys give it their all while internally worrying about doing the same themselves. It was hard to focus on nerves, though, when Connie and Reiner were busy getting in each other's faces, Marco was physically pushing himself between them, and two new boys (one blonde, one brunette) were getting just as heated in all the action. It was quite the way to start callbacks. After the boys, the Juliets read the soliloquy wishing the Nurse would hurry up and bring her news of Romeo’s intentions. The Juliets were followed by a scene between the two house heads and the Prince, then a scene for the Romeos and the Friars, and that was followed by a scene between Lady Capulet, the Nurse, and Juliet. And after that, the adults were called forward to read a few scenes, giving the kids a slight break to read ahead for their next scene. 

That’s when Nanaba dropped the pages for the meeting scene into Mikasa’s hands. Somehow, seeing those simple lines made her heart beat race. So far, callbacks had been going pretty well. Her initial nerves had subsided, and she’d started to feel in her element reading the lines on stage. Mikasa had felt confident during her solo scene, as well as during the scene with the Nurse and Lady Capulet. But something about reading this scene felt different. This scene was pivotal: this was the scene that started it all. Mikasa forced herself to take a breath and really read the lines on the page. She debated different ways to perform them, different ways to emphasize different parts of the line to generate different emotions. But even that was risky because it was a partner scene. She’d have to cooperate with whoever was on stage with her. They had to work together, and they couldn’t plan a thing; it had to be natural. Mikasa bit her lip, trying to keep herself from stressing out. If she psyched herself out now, she’d lose the role. She had to stay on her A game, and that meant giving it her all. And that’s exactly what Mikasa intended to do when Nanaba called the Romeos and Juliets onto the stage for the reading of the meeting scene. 

Gathered in the wings, Mikasa took a deep breath and surveyed the competition. There were four Juliets (Sasha, Annie, Christa, and herself,) and three Romeos (Jean, Marco, and a new boy, Eren.) That meant there would be at least four trials, but probably more for variety. They’d most likely recycle only two of the Juliets for time’s sake, maybe only one. Therefore, Mikasa had to go out there and prove herself worthy of a second look. 

“Okay, can we have Jean and Sasha up first for the meeting scene?” Nanaba called. Mikasa grabbed Sasha’s hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze before the brunette could leave her. Sasha smiled back at her, a 'thank you' in her eyes as she followed Jean on stage. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Jean’s eyes glanced briefly at the paper in front of him before he began. “If I profane with my unworthiness hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”

Sasha smiled sweetly at him, reading smoothly from the paper. “Good pilgrim, you do wrong you hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this: for saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.” Her voice was so innocent, so gentle and sweet, and Jean’s eyes were fixed on her so wholly and with such admiration that Mikasa felt as though she were actually watching two people fall in love. 

“Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” Jean asked, taking a tentative step closer. He reached a hand towards Sasha, touching his fingers to hers for just a moment before the girl pulled her hand back. 

“Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer,” Sasha replied, taking a careful step away. 

“O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair,” Jean said in a charming sort of bargain, as if he were truly trying to win a girl over. 

“Look at them,” Marco muttered under his breath, shaking his head. 

“Pfff, amateurs,” Christa mumbled in response, cracking a smile before she could even get the word out. Eren chuckled and Mikasa found herself stifling a laugh. It wasn’t hard for her, though, as her stomach was too busy twisting itself up in knots. Sasha was on her A game tonight, and Mikasa knew that meant she’d have to fight even harder to get the part. 

Meanwhile, on stage, Sasha turned away from Jean, silently begging him to continue his pursuit with a demure smile. “Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake.”

Jean took the bait and stepped even closer, his hand brushing against her cheek. Sasha’s head turned at his touch, her lips slightly parted as if she’d just been waiting for him to make this move. “Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take.”

“Perfect, thank you,” Nanaba called, breaking the spell. Jean and Sasha shared a smile before nodding to the directors and walking back to the sides of the stage. “Alright, can we see Eren and Mikasa, please?"

Sasha handed the paper to Mikasa was a beaming smile, offering her a wink of encouragement. Mikasa winked back, looking down at the paper as she stepped to center stage. Eren walked up next to her after receiving his script from Jean. She locked eyes with him, smiling quickly before looking back at her paper. 

Eren took that as a signal to begin. He immediately reached for her hand, his fingers steadily holding hers. “If I profane with my unworthiness hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.” To emphasize his final words, Eren melted into a slight bow and pressed the tiniest peck of a kiss to Mikasa’s hand, setting her nerves on fire. 

“Good pilgrim, you do wrong you hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this,” Mikasa said around a laugh of surprise as she gently pulled her hand away from his grasp. She played right along with his antics, acting the part of the awestruck Juliet, and silently thanked the stars that he’d let her run with the nervous routine. “For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.” She crossed in front of him, moving to walk away while gazing fixedly at the hand he’d kissed, which was still tingling.

“Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” Eren asked, his hand lightly touching her shoulder. 

Mikasa peered at him over her shoulder with a coy smile. “Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.” 

“O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair,” Eren said, carefully maneuvering her around so that they were facing one another again. His hand lingered on her shoulder just a moment more before falling away. The ghost of his touch lingered, only fueling Mikasa’s nervous energy. 

The girl put that energy to good use, jumping right into the part of the teasing crush and wrinkling her face with feigned confusion. “Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake.”

Eren smiled, his eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief. “Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take.” Mikasa didn’t bother fighting the smile that naturally bloomed in the wake of his words. 

“Wonderful, thank you both,” Nanaba said, her voice cutting through their moment. Mikasa’s head snapped to the front as she nodded gratefully to the director. “Christa and Marco?”

Mikasa could hardly think as she returned to the wings. Eren smiled at her as he came to stand next to her. 

“Nice job,” the brunette whispered. 

“Thanks, you too,” Mikasa whispered back, keeping her eyes trained forward. 

“I’m sorry if the kiss on the hand was too much,” Eren said. “I did it on a whim.”

“No, I thought it was super creative,” Mikasa replied, shaking her head. “I mean, it did kind of take me by surprise but, hey, if it’s what you felt was natural, I can’t complain.”

Eren chuckled. “Cool. You did play it off really well.” Mikasa felt heat rise in her cheeks as she nodded her thanks to him and continued to absently watch Marco and Christa on stage. She was still jittery with adrenaline, fresh off the stage and her heart was still hammering away in her chest, even when Nanaba substituted Marco and Christa for Jean and Annie. As their scene drew to a close, Mikasa prepared to get called on again. Or at least she hoped she’d get called on again… 

“Sasha and Eren?”

The two brunettes stepped out on the stage, and after a beat began the scene they could all recite with ease by now. 

Mikasa watched the scene with tacit interest, knowing that this could be the last one. She was slightly shocked to watch Eren kiss Sasha’s hand too, but didn’t think more of it when she thought back to his explanation earlier. Still, she didn’t know how to feel about the way her stomach twisted seeing Eren acting just as smooth and flirtatious with Sasha as he did with her. And she was even more surprised at the stab of jealousy she felt watching Sasha flirt back with such a demure grace. Maybe it was because Mikasa was no longer seeing Eren and Sasha, but Romeo and Juliet; she could see them as the stars of the show. And for some reason, something other than not getting the lead role, that made her upset. 

She hardly noticed the scene between Sasha and Eren end. It wasn’t until she heard Nanaba call, “Mikasa and Jean?” that she even realized that she was on. 

Mikasa stepped on stage, Jean by her side. The fair-haired boy hardly had to look at the paper this time, simply starting into the piece when Nanaba gave the signal. His hazel eyes fixed on Mikasa’s with a look of such wonder that the girl almost lost her breath. They'd been acting together for so long, that Mikasa sometimes forgot just how talented Jean was. “If I profane with my unworthiness hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.” Jean reached out a hand to her, smiling like a star straight off the silver screen. The shy smile blossoming on Mikasa’s face wasn’t just an act. 

She read off her lines with a girlish innocence, channeling Sasha with every word. “Good pilgrim, you do wrong you hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this: for saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.” On an impulse, Mikasa gently pressed her hand to Jean’s. But his eyes never left hers, nor did the charming smile ever leave his face. 

“Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” Jean asked inquisitively, dropping his paper and holding up his other hand. 

“Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer,” Mikasa answered, pulling her hand away from his to playfully press both of her hands together in a praying pose. 

“O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do,” Jean recited with a cheerful laugh, his arms spreading wide. “They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.” 

“Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake,” Mikasa said in a wittily chastising voice. But she continued to smile, inviting Jean’s next line with pleasure. 

She wasn’t surprised when the fair-haired boy flashed her the most dazzling of smiles. “Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take.” 

“Very nice job!” Nanaba called in time with the applause. “Thank you, all of you. That’s all we need to see for the meeting scene. My Juliets, that’s all we’ll need from you tonight. You’re free to go. Thank you all for being here, you’ve all been wonderful. Cast list will be up tomorrow, hopefully by noon. But I would like all my Romeos to stay, and I’d like to move on to another scene between Romeo and Friar Lawrence. Can I have Erwin, Mike, and Gunter join the boys on the stage?”

Mikasa gave Jean a quick hug. "You did great," she said. 

"Thank you! So did you," Jean replied, squeezing her tight once before pulling away. "Thank you for being such a good callback partner."

The girl smiled. "Good luck for the next scene. You're gonna rock it."

Jean smiled. "Thanks, Mikasa." Mikasa gave him one last smile before moving to exit the stage, Sasha on her heels. The brunette squeezed Mikasa’s shoulder as they moved towards the seats, grabbing their bags and heading out of the theater. 

“Oh my gosh, you were amazing!” Sasha exclaimed once they were in the lobby. 

“So were you!” Mikasa replied, hitting Sasha’s shoulder. “Seriously, watching you makes me want to both be a better actor and quit altogether cause I know I’ll never be as good as you.”

“Shut up, you are a lovely actor,” the brunette chastised, narrowing her eyes at her best friend as they pushed through the glass doors into the parking lot. “Don’t sell yourself short, kid. Ya got talent. And you're really good at blushing." She pinched Mikasa's cheek, which the other girl swatted away. 

"Am not!" 

"You have two perfect apples on your cheeks still!"

Mikasa laughed, shaking her head as she rummaged through her bag for her keys. “Are you ready for our English test tomorrow?”

Sasha snorted. “Nope. You?”

“Not in the slightest,” Mikasa replied, biting her lip guiltily. 

“Guess we had more important things to worry about,” Sasha said as they approached their cars, (parked right next to each other.) “Are we still gonna carpool if we both make it?”

“Of course,” Mikasa answered with a nod, unlocking her car. “Text me when you see the cast list?”

“Will do. Text me if you see it first,” Sasha replied, pointing at Mikasa to further her point. 

Mikasa offered her a salute. “Yes ma’am.” Sasha laughed in response. “See you tomorrow, then?”

“Oh, parting is such sweet sorrow,” Sasha sighed dramatically, leaning against the door of her car. Mikasa rolled her eyes and ducked into the driver’s seat to the sound of Sasha laughing. “Goodnight, my love!”

“Goodbye, my dear,” Mikasa called back, turning the keys in the ignition as Sasha got into her own car. The girl shook her head as she plugged her iPod into the aux cord. The audition adrenaline was still coursing through her veins, and the one thing she really needed right now was to blast some show tunes and sing the whole way home. And then probably eat some ice cream when she got home. 

“I should have asked Sasha to get ice cream with me,” Mikasa mumbled out loud to herself as she pulled out of the parking lot to the opening notes of “Seasons of Love.” She considered it a missed opportunity and set off for home, happy with her performance during callbacks, and ready to not think about it until tomorrow after her English test. 

~

School the following day was not pleasant. Mikasa had gotten home around ten thirty, still having to shower and finish some homework and study for her English test. She’d fallen asleep close to 1 am, and her alarm had gone off at 6. Running low on sleep and high on nerves, Mikasa was not in the best of moods for a Friday morning. Thankfully, the English test wasn’t all that hard, and she got through it without trouble. In fact, Mikasa lucked out in a lot of her classes that day; most of them were just taking notes or watching videos. Nothing too strenuous that could easily be ruined by her currently distracted brain. Still, it was irritating to be so distracted; Mikasa felt unusually jittery and on-edge, desperate to know the results of the audition. 

But her dark mood changed when she got the text. 

Mikasa had just arrived in the choir room, two minutes before class started. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket as she grabbed her music folder from the cabinet, but didn’t dare read it until she sat down. 

“Hey girl,” her friend, (and seatmate,) Mina Carolina greeted, smiling as Mikasa sat down next to her. “Sorry I didn’t grab your folder. Tom was distracting me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mikasa waved her off as she put her bag down next to her chair. She slipped out her phone as she sat down and opened the new message. 

**Sasha: List is up :)**

“The list is up,” Mikasa said out loud, garnering the attention of her seatmate. Mina immediately perked up, dropping her own phone into her lap and fixing wide eyes on her friend.

“And?” Mina asked excitedly, her lips already curling up into a smile. 

“Let me get to it,” Mikasa answered, pulling up the internet app and typing in the web address for St. PAC’s website. The page took longer to load than usual, (or at least it felt like it did,) and it seemed to take forever to scroll through all the pages required to get to the cast list, (main menu to productions to Romeo and Juliet to cast list.) From there it was a matter of scrolling. 

**House of Montague**

**Lord Montague: Erwin Smith**

**Lady Montague: Sasha Braus**

**Romeo: Eren Jaeger**

**Benvolio: Jean Kirschtein**

Her eyes briefly skimmed the list, on the hunt for her own name. She’d go back and analyze the rest later. 

**House of Capulet**

**Lord Capulet: Gunter Schultz**

**Lady Capulet: Petra Ral**

**Juliet: Mikasa Ackerman**

“So…” Mina prompted. 

“I got it,” Mikasa whispered. A smile spread across her face, her eyes never leaving the screen. She gave a laugh of disbelief. “I got the part.”

“Oh my gosh!” Mina exclaimed, throwing her arms around Mikasa with an excited laugh. “Congratulations! You’re going to be the best Juliet ever!”

“Thank you,” Mikasa said, still in complete shock. Was that really her name? Was this real life? She thought about asking Mina to pinch her, but thought better of it. 

“So, who’s your Romeo?” Mina asked, a hint of mischief in her tone. 

Mikasa looked back at her phone, scrolling back up to the Montague section. “Eren Jaeger…” She paused for a moment trying to put a face to the name. The memory of the kiss on the hand popped into her head. _Right, that guy._ “He’s new. But we actually read a scene together last night. He seems pretty good.”

“Is he cute?” Mina asked frankly. 

Mikasa’s forehead wrinkled as she laughed her friend off. “That doesn’t matter…”

“So he’s not cute?” Mina accused.

Mikasa sighed, pursing her lips as she strained to think up a clear picture of Eren. She couldn’t fill in all the details... but what she could remember was nice. “Okay, I think he’s kinda cute,” she relented. “We can look him up on Facebook later. But that’s not important right now. I got the part!”

“You’re so cute,” Mina laughed, pulling Mikasa into another hug. “You gotta text your mom right now.”

“I’m on it,” Mikasa said as Mina let her go. “I’m just so happy.”

~

_Romeo and Juliet Official Cast List:_

**House of Montague**

**Lord Montague: Erwin Smith**

**Lady Montague: Sasha Braus**

**Romeo: Eren Jaeger**

**Benvolio: Jean Kirschtein**

**Balthasar: Connie Springer**

**Samson: Ymir Nilsen**

**Gregory: Franz Kefka**

**House of Capulet:**

**Lord Capulet: Gunter Schultz**

**Lady Capulet: Petra Ral**

**Juliet: Mikasa Ackerman**

**Nurse: Hanji Zoe**

**Peter: Armin Arlert**

**Abram: Thomas Wagner**

**Other Characters:**

**Prince Escalus: Dot Pixis**

**Mercutio: Marco Bodt**

**Count Paris: Bertholdt Hoover**

**Friar Lawrence: Mike Zacharius**

**Friar John: Nac Wheeler**

**Servant 1: Hannah Diamonte**

**Servant 2: Annie Leonhardt**

**Servant 3: Christa Lenz**


	2. Signed, Sealed, Delivered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Mikasa being their "training" to portray Shakespeare's famous young lovers, while Jean and Marco bond over Jean's petty tendencies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Welcome back!
> 
> We're finally meeting Jean and Marco in this chapter, and I'm sorry they weren't really in chapter one. But they're here now, and they're here to stay! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Eren Jaeger pulled open the glass door to St. Maria’s Performing Arts Center and stepped inside. The building gave off a completely different aura now that he wasn’t scared out of his mind like he had been before his audition. The large windows were letting in the early evening light, illuminating the room with a soft, welcoming glow. The tables in the atrium had all been pushed to the side, and Eren could see Levi and Oluo at the back of the room, carrying in what looked like large duffle bags. A smile spread across the teen’s face. He was about an hour away from his first stage fighting practice, something he’d never had the chance to do before and couldn’t wait to try. 

But he couldn’t think about swords right now. He had something else to think about first. While the success of the show was dependent on the awesomeness of the sword fights, it was much more contingent on how well Eren and his leading lady, Mikasa Ackerman, could pull off the world’s most famous romance. And that meant they had to start building up their relationship now. Or at least that’s what Nanaba had said in her email asking the two to come in today for “chemistry work.” The director had even included an original quote: not even the greatest actor in the world could pretend to be in love with a stranger and be one hundred percent convincing. Now that Eren thought about it, maybe he should have been more worried to come in today than he was. 

Not that he was scared to meet Mikasa beyond their brief scene at callbacks. It was more that he was scared of what “chemistry work” encompassed. Were they just going to be talking today, getting to know each other more than just names and faces? Or were they already going to be starting on the hard stuff? Eren was praying for option one. 

With a deep breath, the brunette followed the windows of the main lobby to the small hallway that led back to the greenroom. Nanaba was standing down at the end of the hallway and waved when she saw him. Eren smiled back, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked to meet the director. The woman had three folding chairs set up, waiting for her two victims to arrive. 

“Hi Eren,” Nanaba greeted when the boy joined her in the hall. 

“Hello,” Eren replied, smiling brightly. “How are you?”

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Nanaba answered. “How are you?”

“I’m great.” Eren smiled again, out of politeness or nerves, he wasn’t sure. Either way, smiling came naturally to him, and that hadn’t failed him yet. 

“Have a seat,” Nanaba said, gesturing to the folding chairs. Eren sat down, trying not to wince at the loud screech of the old chair, or the way that unpleasant noise echoed around the tiny hallway. “Mikasa should be here any minute.”

“Cool,” Eren said with a nod. 

“You’re in high school, correct?” Nanaba asked as she took a seat in one of the other chairs. Eren nodded. “Awesome, I thought so. When does winter break start for you?” 

“I get out next Thursday,” Eren answered, nodding again. He was starting to feel a bit like a bobble head. Man, maybe he was even more nervous than he’d thought. He chalked it up to being the new guy. And still not knowing what “chemistry work” meant. 

Nanaba nodded approvingly. “Very nice. Have any tests or projects between now and then?”

“Oh yeah,” Eren replied with a laugh. “It’s like all of my teachers decided to give us some sort of big assignment right in time for break.”

“Like what?”

Eren sighed, trying to remember all of the assignments he had coming in the next week and a half. “I have tests in history and math. We’re doing a big experiment next week in biology. I have a speech in Spanish. I have a speech _and_ a paper due in English. And I think we have a concert in choir,” he listed, framing the last one as a joke. And his attempt at humor worked, earning him a soft chuckle from the director.

“Wow, that’s a lot,” Nanaba marveled. “Think you’ll survive it?”

Eren nodded. “I’ve had worse,” he said, earning him another laugh. 

“That’s good to hear,” Nanaba said in reply. “Will school have calmed down at all before rehearsals start?”

“Oh, it should.”

“Are you excited for rehearsals to start?” 

“Oh yes, very,” Eren said, nodding enthusiastically. “I’m so excited to work with you and the rest of the cast. I’ve seen one or two shows here, and they were just brilliant. I’m still sorta shocked that you chose me as your lead.”Nanaba smiled warmly, her blue eyes shining. Eren felt his heartbeat catch as he hurried to amend his words: “But I am so grateful that you did take this chance on me! I’m… very excited to be a part of this show.”

“And we’re very excited to have you,” the woman said in reply, her voice calm and warm and surprisingly soothing. “You gave a very solid audition, you fought for this role during callbacks, and you earned it. I was personally very impressed with you, Eren, and so were Levi and Oluo. You’re a very talented actor.” Eren felt his cheeks begin to burn. “I really do believe that you’ll bring life to this character, and I can’t wait to see where you and Romeo will go.”

“Thank you,” Eren said, feeling horribly inadequate in the face of such kind words. “I really don’t know what else to say but thank you.” 

Nanaba simply smiled again as the sound of footsteps filled the hallway. Eren turned around to see the girl who was to be his Juliet. He remembered her from callbacks, the only difference was that she was dressed much more casually now, swapping out her audition dress for a plain blue t-shirt and jeans. She still looked just as pretty as Eren remembered her though. He found himself fixating on the way her hair swished back and forth as she walked. It made it look so soft. 

“Hi Mikasa,” Nanaba said, smiling at the girl. 

“Hey!” Eren added with a bright smile, making a point to look her in the eyes instead of staring at her hair. Mikasa smiled back at him. 

“Hi, sorry I’m late,” the girl said, quickly sliding into the last folding chair and wincing at the squeaking noise. Eren’s smiling widened at the way she crinkled her face at the noise. “I think I hit every red light possible on the way here.”

“Not a problem,” Nanaba said. “Eren and I were just taking the time to get to know each other a little better. Now, I know that Levi is eager to get you over there,” she added, pointing at Eren, “and I only have a couple of minutes before I ave to go pick up my niece from dance, so we’ll try to make this as quick as we can. I’ve called you two here today because you can’t have _Romeo and Juliet_ without Romeo and Juliet. And, as far as I know, you two hardly each other, right?” Eren and Mikasa made eye contact before both shaking their heads. “Just as I thought. To fix that, we’re going to have these little chemistry rehearsals throughout the months leading up the show. I will also asking you some out of rehearsal homework to help facilitate your relationship in addition to these rehearsals, and also to give you a chance to work with each other without me breathing down your necks. Right now, I want you both to look each other in the eye and introduce yourself. Name, age, grade, and favorite movie. Go.”

Eren and Mikasa turned to each other simultaneously, nervously staring at each other for only a moment before Eren jumped ahead. “Hi, I’m Eren. I’m 18, I’m a senior at Mountain View High School. And my favorite movie is _Forrest Gump._ ”

“Hi, I’m Mikasa,” the girl said with a small wave. “I’m also 18 and also a senior, but I go to Pinewood High School. And my favorite movie is _She’s the Man._ ”

“Great. Now you know more about each other,” Nanaba said with a smile. “And by the time I’m through with you, you’ll both know a lot more about each other. This show is very emotionally dense, and a lot of that has to be presented through the two of you.” The director pointed a finger at each of the teens. Eren and Mikasa made eye contact again for just a second. Eren smiled at Mikasa, and only smiled harder when he saw her blush. “You are the focal points of this production, and we need your chemistry to be through the roof to do this show justice. I was highly intrigued by what I saw between you at callbacks, and I personally can’t wait to see where you’ll go from here. That being said, I’m not going to make this easy for you. It will be awkward, you will have to step out of your comfort zone. But I promise you, it will be worth it. We will put on a great show.”

Eren nodded in agreement, and he saw Mikasa smile next to him. 

“So, as I’ve said, my plan for the two of you is to run you through a chemistry crash course over the next three months,” Nanaba continued, templing her hands as she spoke. “Not only do you need to get to know your characters, you need to get to know each other. If you learn one another, the stuff on stage will come more naturally to you. My first question was just a warm up. Now I want you both to stand up and stand about five feet away from each other.”

The two teens moved to do as Nanaba said, ending up five feet away from each other. Eren looked at Mikasa, but the girl had her eyes trained on the director for further instruction. The brunette smirked. These chemistry rehearsals were going to be fun. 

“Now, I want you to start having a conversation, and every time you find something in common, take a step closer to each other,” Nanaba said. Eren felt his forehead wrinkle in thought. “I know it sounds weird, but trust me. This will help you break down the physical barriers between you. Go on.”

Eren put on a smile as he faced Mikasa again, meeting her eyes with what he hoped was a reassuring expression. 

“I like your shirt,” Mikasa said, pointing towards Eren’s Captain America t-shirt. 

The brunette peaked down at his shirt, and his smile brightened. “Are you a Marvel fan?” he asked. 

“Yes, I am,” Mikasa said, taking a small step forward. Eren moved closer as well. “Is Captain America your favorite?”

“I’m actually more of a Spiderman guy, but Captain America’s t-shirt is cooler,” Eren explained. 

“I agree, Captain America has the best insignia,” Mikasa said with a nod as both she and Eren stepped closer. “And I will give it to you, Spiderman is pretty awesome. But I’ve always been a big fan of the X-Men, so Storm’s probably my favorite.”

“That’s fair. She’s awesome,” Eren replied. “Are you into DC too, or just Marvel?”

“I’m more of a Marvel person, but I am a pretty big Batman fan.”

Eren beckoned her closer with a finger, hoping he wasn’t being creepy as he took a step forward. Mikasa’s smile told him he was doing just fine. “Batman’s the best.”

“Especially his villains.”

“Heck yes!” Eren exclaimed as they took another step forward, now about two feet away. Only three more agreements, if that. “Do you read the comics, or just watch the movies, or both?”

“I just watch the movies,” Mikasa said. “I’m more of a book person than comics or graphic novels.”

“So you like to read?” Eren asked. 

“I do, and I take it from your tone that we should be taking another step,” Mikasa said slyly as she inched forward. Eren nodded, following suit. “What do you like to read?”

“I’m all about adventure stories or mysteries,” Eren answered. “But I’m up for anything. You?”

“Adventure and mystery are good. But I’m mostly drawn to romances and fantasy,” Mikasa replied, biting her lip contritely.

“Hey, no big deal. We’ll still have a lot to talk about in the literary department,” Eren said. Suddenly his eyes shone with inspiration. “Harry Potter?”

Mikasa’s eyes widened in response. “My absolute favorite.” They took another step. “Books or movies?”

“Books 110 percent,” Eren said, shaking his head. And with that, they stepped close enough that their toes were touching. The sudden proximity swiftly crashed down around them. Eren was hyperaware of how close he was to Mikasa, and he could tell she felt the same from the way her eyes kept floating away from him. Or how she seemed to be holding all her muscles tight so that she wouldn’t get somehow closer to him. Or the way her smile was slightly tainted with awkwardness, or her cheeks were turning the softest shade of red. Eren could feel his own face blazing, and his own muscles tightening to keep himself stock still so as to not crash into her. At least they were both feeling uncomfortable right now. 

“Very good, you two,” Nanaba praised. “This is the kind of stuff we’ll be doing over the next three months to build up intimacy between the two of you. This is only the beginning, and I promise you, it will get easier the more you get to know each other. For now, how about you two get the first hug out of the way.”

Eren stretched out his arms on command, and waited for Mikasa to do the same before wrapping her up in a hug, effectively crushing the awkwardness between them. Or at least he stamped out some of the awkwardness; there was no way it was all gone. Eren tried not to squeeze her too hard, just enough. He was a hugger by nature, and he’d never skimp on a hug, stranger or not. And Mikasa didn’t seem like a weak hugger either, holding tight to him for the three seconds they were together. And she smelled good. Eren couldn’t identify what she smelled like, but it was nice and comforting and he could only hope he smelled decent too. 

“Okay, that’s all we’re going to do today. Sorry it was so short,” Nanaba said, effectively breaking up the hug. “I know Levi wants Eren as soon as possible and I’ve gotta run. But I have homework for the two of you. Over break, I’d like you two to write one another letters. I know it would be much easier to just text, but there’s something special about a handwritten letter. It’s more personal, more sincere if you will, and I want you two to build a foundation for your relationship in a unique way that will make it last. So letters. They don’t have to be anything too fancy. Just something to keep the conversation going between you. Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” Eren and Mikasa replied in unison, sharing a smile at the jinx. 

Nanaba smiled, standing up from her chair. “Wonderful. So I’ll see you both in January?”

“Yep,” Mikasa replied as Eren nodded. 

“With all your lines memorized?” The director’s eyebrows arched suspiciously. 

“You betch’a,” Eren replied, snapping his fingers as if that proved his statement true. 

Nanaba’s suspicious glare didn’t let up as she moved to leave. “I’m counting on you, Jaeger.” 

Eren’s finger guns quickly transformed into a fist held reverently over his heart. “You have my word.” He then clapped his other hand on Mikasa’s shoulder. He felt the girl jump under his sudden touch. “And I promise to keep this one in line as well.”

Nanaba simply chuckled in response. “I like you, Eren. You’re got character.” Her gaze then shifted to Mikasa. “Ackerman, I expect you to keep close tabs on him so we can call his bluff in January.”

“You got it, boss,” Mikasa said in reply. Eren’s mouth fell open as he eyed her with a look of betrayal. The girl simply shrugged, earning an even more dramatic look of injury from Eren. Nanaba chuckled again as she turned back up the hallway and walked towards the exit. “But really, we have to memorize those lines. She gets really mad when we forget them.”

“Really?” Eren asked hesitantly. 

Mikasa nodded. “The first week she’ll be nice about it. The second week too. It’s around week three that the hammer comes down.”

“So I have until week three. Good to know.” Eren nodded solemnly. “I’ll be prepared.”

“As will I,” Mikasa said in reply with a soft smile. “So, do you want to start off the letters, or should I?”

Eren nodded towards the hallway. “Walk with me,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets as he started to walk up the hall. Mikasa followed at his side. “I can send the first letter if you want.”

“Yeah, that would be cool,” Mikasa replied, zipping open her purse and pulling out her keys as they walked. “I assume you need my address?”

“Oh, no, you see, I have this really awesome carrier pigeon that will know exactly where you live if I tell him your name and three facts about you,” Eren said in utter seriousness. “I’ll just tell him that you’re a senior at Pinewood, you love the X-Men, and _She’s the Man_ is your favorite movie, and we’ll be fine.”

Mikasa’s eyes narrowed at him, but the most reluctant of smiles pulled up her lips. Eren grinned at his successful humor. “You do have character, Eren Jaeger,” Mikasa conceded begrudgingly. “I guess that’s something we’ll have to get used to during our intimacy training.”

“Ooo, is that what we want to call it?” Eren asked with amusement. “Cause I like that a lot. What are you doing today? Oh, just intimacy training.” Mikasa laughed, and Eren felt something loosen in his chest. All his anxiety from earlier, gone. Mikasa was nothing to be afraid of; she would be a dream of a leading lady. Or at least she gave off the appearance of a perfect leading lady. Hopefully their homework assignment would give him a better reading. 

But for now, Eren was perfectly content with his position of acting alongside this pretty girl with a good sense of humor and a cute laugh. 

“Here’s my address,” Mikasa said, moving toward the front desk and borrowing one of the business cards. She quickly wrote down her street, city, state, and zip code on the card and handed it to Eren. “In case your pigeon gets lost.”

Eren smiled as he took the card. “Thanks. It’s always good to have a backup plan.” Mikasa laughed and shook her head, and Eren took pleasure in knowing he’d made her laugh yet again. A warm smile spread across his face. “I’ll write to you soon. Have a good evening.”

“You too,” Mikasa said with a smile and a small wave as she moved towards the door. “Have fun sword fighting.” Eren gave her two thumbs up as he watched her go. He watched her until she was in the parking lot before he walked to the atrium. 

~

“I’m just saying, _Frozen_ would have been so much better if Elsa was the villain,” Jean declared with finality as he pulled into a parking space. 

“And I’m just saying, _Frozen_ wouldn’t be half the movie it is without ‘Let It Go,’” Marco argued. “Which,” he said as he pointed a finger in the air for emphasis, “would not be in the film if Elsa was the villain.”

“Not true. That song could’ve been her transformation into her true self: a badass evil queen,” Jean retorted as he put the car in park and pulled his keys from the ignition. 

“But instead, it was used for the better purpose of teaching her how to let go of her fears so she could open herself up to love,” Marco said, gesturing wildly with his hands as he always did when he was particularly passionate about an argument. 

“She still almost killed her sister,” Jean pointed out. 

“On accident,” Marco hissed in a scandalized whisper. Jean slumped back in his seat, staring at his best friend. Marco stared back, his gaze hard, refusing to back down.

“We’re arguing about a Disney movie,” Jean stated. 

“Don’t you try to weasel your way out of this,” Marco accused, his eyes narrowing. 

“I will weasel out all I want.”

“Why? Because you know you’re wrong?”

“Get out of my car.”

Marco gave an exasperated groan as he pushed open the car door and tumbled out. Jean chuckled to himself as he did the same, locking the car once both doors slammed shut. 

“We should ask Sasha what she thinks about it,” Marco said as both boys walked around to the front of the car, meeting up before walking towards the performing arts center. “And Historia. And any other true Disney fans we know.”

“So like everyone at St. PAC’s?” Jean questioned, a sarcastic smirk pulling on his lips. 

“Yeah, basically,” Marco said. “Then we’ll have a decisive answer.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Jean clapped Marco’s shoulder as condescendingly as possible as they walked up the steps to the front doors. The brunette clicked his tongue as Jean jumped for the door, holding it open so Marco could walk through first and hold open the second door for him. It had become a tradition for the two of them: Jean got the first door, Marco the second. It had become an unconscious habit for them. 

As they walked through the second set of doors, Jean immediately noticed that the tables in the atrium had been pushed to the side, leaving a large space in the middle for them to work. He’d only seen it like that a handful of times for dance performances, but he’d never had the chance to do anything in the space himself. And he couldn’t deny the feeling of excitement that shot through him as he spotted the swords Levi and Oluo were carefully setting up against the wall. It was thrilling just looking at them. 

“Marco! Jean!” 

Both boys looked up to see Reiner Braun waving them over to a side table with a group of their friends. It appeared that Connie must’ve just told a joke, because Franz and Bertholdt were laughing, and even Ymir was cracking a smile. Jean and Marco didn’t even think twice before heading over. 

“Hello!” Marco greeted cheerfully as they reached the assembled group of teens. “How is everyone today?”

“Hey Marco,” Connie replied with a wave. “What’s up, Jean?”

“Not much, man,” Jean said in response, looking around the room. “Wow, this place looks a lot bigger without the tables.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of amazing, actually,” Reiner replied, looking back at the empty atrium too. “The difference a few tables can make in a room.”

“Interior design, man. It can mess you up,” Ymir said dryly, shaking her head. 

“Oh, I was just congratulating everyone on their roles in the show, so Jean, Marco, congrats to you two on your roles in the show,” Connie said, meeting eyes with both Jean and Marco. Marco noted how Jean’s muscles tensed minutely, the way his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You guys are going to nail these roles, I can feel it.”

“Seriously, when I saw the cast list, I don’t think they could’ve done a better job,” Bertholdt said, shaking his head. “This show is going to be awesome.”

“Yeah, cause there’s swords,” Franz said enthusiastically, nodding his head over to the two fight choreographers and their assortment of weaponry. “Swords can only improve the quality of a show.”

“This is true,” Connie commented, nodding approvingly. “Even if we were all horrible actors, the crowd would at least enjoy the fact that we have swords.”

“What do you guys think of the new guy?” Jean asked abruptly. 

“Jean,” Marco muttered chastisingly. The fair-haired boy shot him a sideways glance. There was a reason Marco has started the _Frozen_ fight in the car, and it had been to stop the conversation that was about to unfold. It wasn’t that Jean was a jealous person; it was just that he could hold grudges over petty things. And a new guy taking his dream role was definitely cause for some of Jean’s peculiar brand of pettiness. In other words, Marco had been hearing vague trash talk about Eren Jaeger for the past six days, and they’d hardly even met the guy. And he really didn’t want to subject the rest of their friends to said trash talk. 

“Eren?” Connie asked in reply, his face wrinkling with thought. He shrugged. “I don’t know enough about him to have an opinion. He seemed cool at callbacks. Where’d that thought come from?”

“Just wondering. Do you think he’s Romeo material?” Jean asked.

“That sounds like a loaded question,” Marco muttered to himself. Jean still heard it, and spared him another sideways glare. Marco simply rolled his eyes. 

“I think someone’s just bitter that he got passed over for the lead,” Reiner said with a wry smile, noting Jean and Marco’s subtle eye communication. The freckled boy smirked, happy that their other friend was calling Jean out. Jean had stopped responding to Marco calling him out two years ago. 

“That’s not… entirely true,” Jean argued half-heartedly. “I just think it was a risky move casting an unknown as the lead instead of an experienced actor who’s been here for years.”

“So you’re bitter that you got passed over for the lead,” Marco clarified. 

“I’m not bitter. I’m disappointed,” Jean corrected. 

“Aren’t those the same thing?” Bertholdt asked innocently. 

“When it comes to Jean, yes,” Marco answered, earning him a push on the shoulder from his fair-haired best friend. “What? It’s true!”

As the rest of the guys laughed, Jean saw Nanaba emerge from the back hallway on the other side of the atrium. The director waved before going out the doors on that side of the lobby, probably trying to avoid Levi and Oluo so she could get to an appointment, (there was something about the St. PAC’s adults where they could talk to each other for hours. It was almost scary.) A few seconds later, Eren and Mikasa rounded the corner, together. Jean watched them curiously as the pair walked through the lobby and over to the front desk, where Mikasa grabbed one of the business cards and a pen. She wrote something down on the card before handing it to Eren. She smiled as she walked away, and Jean just knew Eren was smiling back at her. He watched Eren watch Mikasa until she was just a speck in the parking lot. And he wasn’t too thrilled with the smile on the brunette’s face as he turned around to join them in the main atrium. 

Jean quickly looked away as Eren drew closer. He didn’t want the new guy to think he was staring at him, (nor did he want Eren to try to talk to him first. Or ever for that matter. He was probably a jerk or something.) He still managed to give the new guy a solid once over before glancing away: Eren was tall, dark, conventionally handsome if you were into that sort of thing. There didn’t seem to be anything special about him. Jean just couldn’t understand how this guy was supposed to be their Romeo. (Especially when he’d only been called up twice for the meeting scene at callbacks, and Jean had been called up three. That was just wrong!)

“Hello,” Eren greeted when he was close enough to the group. Jean let a beat pass before he looked at the brunette, his face a mask of indifference. 

“Hey! You’re Eren, right?” the ever friendly Reiner asked. “Our Romeo?”

“That would be me,” Eren answered with a smile that was charming and handsome and just a little bit shy. Jean clenched his fingers into fists and released them slowly. Yeah, that smile was gonna get on his nerves. 

“Awesome. I’m Reiner Braun,” the blonde boy introduced himself, offering a handshake that Eren accepted, (and it didn’t look like his handshake was weak, which, again, made Jean’s insides writhe a little bit.) “We met at auditions, didn’t we? Before callbacks?”

“Yeah, I think we did,” Eren said with a nod, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully as he tried to call up the memory. “You’re going to be our Tybalt, right?”

“Right indeed,” Reiner replied with a proud smile. “And I look forward to kicking your ass, Romeo.”

Eren grinned. “I don’t think that wish will ever be fulfilled, my good man. I read ahead a little bit.” Reiner laughed before turning to the other guys, silently prompting them to introduced themselves. Eren turned to them as well, putting on that stupidly charming smile again. Jean resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

“Hi, I’m Connie Springer,” Connie introduced himself, moving to shake Eren’s hand as well. “I remember seeing you at call backs, but I didn’t say hi. You did a real nice job up there, dude. I’m excited to work with you.”

“I’m excited to work with you too,” Eren replied, his tone filled with amazement. As if he was touched by Connie’s enthusiastic response to his presence. Jean clenched his fists again. 

“To continue the intros, I’m Franz Kefka,” Franz said, waving at Eren. He then pointed to the tall brunette next to him. 

“I’m Bertholdt Hoover,” Bertholdt said, waving also before pointing to Marco.

“Marco Bodt,” the freckled boy introduced himself with a cheerful wave. “I’m really excited to work with you. You were spectacular up there at callbacks. You and Mikasa had a lot of chemistry potential, and I can’t wait to see you guys nail these roles.” Jean leveled a sideways glare at Marco as the freckled boy turned to him with a bright smile. “And what’s your name?”

Jean suppressed a groan of frustration before turning to look Eren straight in his stupidly green eyes. “Jean Kirschtein. Pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Eren said in response, not breaking eye contact. Jean wasn’t sure what to make of it. Marco smirked next to him, and Jean had to really fight against the urge to smack his best friend across the face. 

“And, saving the best for last, my name is Ymir. I won’t bother with a last name cause most people just call me Ymir. So thus, you can also call me Ymir too,” Ymir said with a flourishing bow forward. 

“Wow, you really did save the best for last,” Eren joked lightly. Ymir simply nodded, turning back to look at the swords. “Do you guys know what we’re going to do today?”

“I feel like it’s going to be a lot of prep work,” Marco answered. “I feel like they aren’t going to actually choreograph any fights today, which is kind of sad.”

“I don’t know. Nanaba’s seemed pretty eager to get things done quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get some choreo today,” Franz commented. 

“Maybe they’ll just teach us the basics and have us practice those moves at home over break for homework so that we can plan the fights easier when we get back,” Bertholdt suggested.

“That sounds like a very probable answer,” Franz said in reply. 

“Alright, people. Gather round!” Oluo called, effectively garnering everyone’s attention to the center of the room. “Circle up around Levi and I if you will.” The cast did as asked, and Jean made sure he was as far away from Eren as he could be, (which was only four people, but still. He didn’t need the new guy throwing off his concentration.) It was also now that Jean noticed that there were a few other cast members gathered together in the circle, mostly older. “Wonderful. Thank you all for being here today. I hope you’re excited for your first official stage fighting practice.”

The cast gave a cheer, some clapping while others gave a whoop of excitement.

“Not to burst your bubbles, but today will be mostly about the basics of stage combat instead of actual fighting,” Levi spoke up, beginning a lap around the circle. No one dared give a sigh of disappointment. He pointed backwards to the swords leaning against the table in the back. “These swords are not toys. We are using real rapiers, folks, which can cause real injuries that could get you sent to a real hospital. Understand?” 

“Yes, sir!” 

“Good,” Levi said before gesturing for Oluo to take the lead. The fair-haired man lifted his chin a tad as he stepped forward, also moving to take a lap around the circle as Levi had done. Jean gave a silent scoff at the man’s attempted imitation. 

“Stage fighting is not easy,” Oluo warned, eyeing the group just as severely as Levi, but without the natural air of authority the shorter man had. “You’re going to have to train hard to get it exactly right. The cooler the trick, the harder you have to work for it. And Levi and I intend to have you all pulling off some very impressive fights in this show.” 

“Like _Princess Bride_ level fights?” Connie asked. 

“Not exactly _Princess Bride_ level fights, no, but only a step or two below,” Oluo answered, nodding his head in Connie’s direction. The younger boy did a silent fist pump. “Any questions?” 

“How many fights do we have in the show?” a random guy asked. 

“The brawl in 1.1. Tybalt vs. Mercutio. Romeo vs. Tybalt. Paris vs. Romeo.” Levi ticked them off on his fingers. “The brawl will be the hardest to choreograph because there will be so many of you on stage. That’s what most of you are here for today, and that’s also the only scene we’re actually going to start blocking today. So those of you who aren’t in it, a.k.a. Romeo, Paris, and Mercutio, you can leave after we teach you the basic moves. What else?”

“Are the swords real?” another guy asked. 

“As Levi just said, yes” Oluo answered with a nod. “These blades are real, and can seriously hurt you if not handled properly. We will be having fight rehearsals mixed in with real rehearsals to make sure you all get this right. We can make these fights extraordinary, people. But we need your cooperation to do it. Our number one goal is to keep you safe. If something isn’t working, we’ll cut it. Understand?”

“Sir, yes sir,” Connie replied for the group. 

“Now, who’s ready to learn the fundamentals of stage fighting?” Oluo asked with an excited grin. His question was met with cheers. “To the rapiers!” 

As the group rushed forward, Jean felt a tug on his arm. He turned to face Marco, who was watching him with an almost irritating smugness. 

“Jean, you’re reaching the insufferable threshold,” the brunette said in a hushed voice so only Jean could hear.

The fair-haired boy cocked an eyebrow. “The what?”

“It’s my new name for the mood you’re currently in.”

“I’m not in a mood…”

“Eren’s nice,” Marco cut him off. Jean scowled at the silent accusation in his tone. “Nanaba and Levi cast him for a reason. You can either accept that and work on perfecting your performance, or continue to be petty and grumpy and hate Eren for no good reason.”

“I don’t hate Eren. I just think he’s not as great as you all think he is…”

“Jean, we all just met him!”

“So? I can already tell you guys think he’s perfect with his big smile and his friendly hellos and his ridiculously green eyes. That can’t be their natural color, can it?”

“Jean.” Marco put his hands on his best friend’s shoulders, effectively shutting him up. “Everything you just listed are good things. You’re looking for the worst in him. Just promise me you won’t sabotage your own happiness by dwelling on something you can’t change.” Jean blinked, staring into stone serious brown eyes. 

“I promise I’ll try to like Eren,” he muttered. Marco gave him a smile before patting him and the shoulder. 

“It’s not about liking Eren.” Marco shook his head. “It’s about you being happy and not moping around wishing you had a different role. Can you promise me that you’ll make the best of the situation, even though it’s not your ideal?” 

Jean nodded. “Anything for you,” he responded dryly. 

“That’s what I like to hear,” Marco said. “Now come on. Let’s learn some sword fighting!” The two joined the rest of the group by the rapiers, and were handed their assigned blades by Oluo just as Levi stepped up to give them all another short address. 

“What we’re about to teach you may seem like a lot,” Levi said, stepping back so he could see every one of his fighters. “But once you get the moves down, it will get easier. It’s almost like dancing if you want to think about it that way: you have a set of moves that you can arrange and beautify all you want, and you then have to perform those moves as precisely as you can on stage. There’s little room for error when it comes to stage fighting. If it looks too fake, the audience won’t be impressed. If it looks too real, it may be too real. You have to find the perfect balance between reality and performance to make it look real without risking your skin. That’s what we’re here to teach you. Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir!” the group cried in unison.

Levi smiled. “Okay. We’ll start with attacks.”

~

Dear Mikasa,

Hey! How are you? I’m doing good. This is so lame. Not the letter thing, just what I’m writing. This is hard. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say here. I’m sorry this is so lame.   
Okay, let me start over. Hi. I’m Eren. I’m a senior at Mountain View High School. I’m a swimmer; my strokes are the freestyle and the butterfly. I also swim in a lot of the relays. I’ve done theater here and there over the years. Um… I’m in choir? My favorite class is science, (I’m taking AP biology and regular physics right now.) I’m going to Rose University in the fall to study biology and chemistry on the premed track. I want to be a doctor. And my favorite color is green.   
Okay, I just got an idea. I’m going to write down some questions and answer them. You answer them in your letter, and send me some questions back. And of course you can do what I did and tell me a little about yourself before just jumping into answering some random questions. Cause favorite colors are important information. I can’t play your love interest if I don’t know your favorite color!  
Alright, question time! 1.) If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I would want the ability to manipulate fire. I think that would be cool!   
2.) What’s your favorite season? I like summer the best cause I like the heat. And popsicles. 3.) Favorite breakfast food? Toast. I could eat toast forever. 4.) Favorite movie? _Forrest Gump_. 5.) If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? My dream is to visit Australia.   
I think these questions will be a good way to get some conversation going. I hope to hear from you soon, and that you have an awesome break.   
-Eren

P.S. I just realized we already did favorite movies. Just… do it again! In case I forgot! :)

 

Dear Eren, 

Hi! I hope you’re still doing well. I’m good here: I just finished up classes until next year, (which is only two weeks off, but it’s better than nothing!) I hope you enjoyed your last few classes before break and didn’t have too many tests to worry about. Are you doing anything fun for the holidays this year? We’re going to visit my mom’s family this week, and then my dad’s family are coming to our house on Christmas Eve to celebrate. Also, what holiday do you celebrate? (I realized after writing it that I probably should have asked before. But because I am writing in pen, I can’t erase that now so here we are. I’m going to stop digging myself into this hole now.)  
Okay, moving on, so a little bit about me. I’m a senior at Pinewood High School. I’ve done theater since I was in sixth grade, mostly at St. PAC’s. I’ve been a dancer since I was two years old, and I’m also in choir! I’m very involved with student council at my school, as well as our Model UN team. Like you, I’m also a huge fan of science, and am taking AP chemistry this year, (and I took AP bio last year; I promise that it’s not as terrible as it may seem now!) I also really like history. I haven’t decided where I’m going to college yet, but I know I want to study international relations. Maybe branch out into some other kind of political science too. And my favorite color is pink. :)  
Now for the answers to your questions. 1.) If I could have a superpower, I would love to be able to read people’s minds. I think it would be cool to know what people are thinking. But fire would be so cool. You could be like a firebender from the _Last Airbender_ series, if you’ve seen that, (Hopefully you have!) 2.) My favorite season is Spring. I love seeing the world come back to life after the dreary days of winter. 3.) My favorite breakfast food is pancakes! And I’m really glad you didn’t say your favorite is waffles, because I don’t think I could properly play your love interest if you liked waffles. ;) 4.) I like a lot of movies… I’m a big Disney fan, and I’m a sucker for both romantic comedies and musicals. But, if I had to pick just one, I’d say that my favorite movie is, as you know, _She’s the Man_. And again, _Forrest Gump_ is an amazing film! 5.) I would love to see Italy. I’ve heard the architecture is just beautiful! And you’re brave for wanting to visit Australia! I’ve heard the spiders there are huge! I don’t think I could ever go there for an extender period of time! (I’m terrified of spiders!)  
Here are my questions for you: 1.) Hogwarts house? (I’m Ravenclaw!) 2.) Favorite Disney movie? (I love them all, but I adore _Beauty and the Beast._ ) 3.) Do you have any siblings or pets? (I’m an only child, and we have two cats: Chandler and Monica.) 4.) What’s your favorite book? (Just like movies, I have many favorite books. But I highly recommend _The Night Circus._ ) 5.) What’s your vocal part? (Since we’re both choir kids! I’m a soprano two.) I look forward to hearing from you soon!

-Mikasa

 

Dear Mikasa,

Hey! I’m glad you had a good end to your semester! Mine was pretty good too: I had a lot of things to do academically, but they’re over now, and I can breathe again. We watched movies in most of my classes after the tests were over to finish out the year. Or the calendar year, I guess, cause the school year’s not over yet… I’ll stop.   
My family does celebrate Christmas, don’t worry. But it’s incredibly sweet of you to ask. :) And this year, the family is coming to us. My dad’s brother and sister are coming into town with their families, cause my grandparents also live here. We’ll probably end up over at my grandparents’ house the most, but I’m really looking forward to hanging out with my cousins! It sounds like you have some fun family times ahead too! Guess we’ll both have some great stories to share after the holidays. ;)  
I can assure you with the utmost confidence that I am team pancake. This stage relationship can proceed.   
And yes, I have seen _Avatar: The Last Airbender,_ and it is my favorite TV show ever! That’s actually the reason I put fire powers as my super power. I want to be a firebender, that would be the life. Oh my gosh, that would be the life. I’m glad you like it too! Now we have something else to talk about.   
Now, to answer your questions from last time: 1.) I’m a Gryffindor. 2.) I’m also a huge Disney nerd, so this question is extremely hard for me. But I’m going to say _Hercules._ 3.) I am also an only child, and we have one dog, Maxwell. He’s a Goldendoodle puppy, just nine months old, and he’s the most adorable puppy ever. I’ll have to show you pictures when rehearsals start! 4.) I’ve always been a sucker for Harry Potter. But, if you want a different answer, I highly recommend _The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared._ It’s hilarious, and perfect if you love history! That’s all I’ll say about it. 5.) I am a tenor, and I usually sing tenor two. But my range is pretty flexible. I can hit the top of the bass section, and can reach the top of the tenor one section. And I’m happy you’re a soprano two instead of a one; I feel like soprano one’s can be so intimidating! Haha, I’m kidding! But really, we should sing together sometime. That would be great cast bonding.   
New questions for you: 1.) Favorite Disney villain? Mine is Hades because I think he’s hilarious. 2.) Favorite ice cream flavor? I’m a sucker for mint chocolate chip. 3.) Morning or night person? I’m a night person. 4.) What’s your dream job/If you could have any job in the world what would it be? If I could do anything, I’d want to be an Olympic swimmer. Sadly, I don’t have the times to even make it to trials, so that won’t happen. But that’s my dream job. 5.) Favorite type of music? I listen to a lot of rock, pop, and alternative. And Disney and theater soundtracks, of course.   
Hope you have a great Christmas! Can’t wait to hear from you. 

-Eren 

P.S. Let me know if you read any good book series, I’ve been in the market for a new one!

 

Dear Eren, 

Hey! I hope you had a great Christmas! Mine was pretty great. We spent four days out with my mom’s family, and that was a blast. My cousins on that side are all younger, and we had so much fun playing in the snow and decorating cookies and everything. They’re so funny, I don’t even know where they get it! I wish I was that funny! And then my dad’s family came to visit on Christmas, and that was a real treat, cause my cousins over there are older. We were talking about college, and they have so many awesome stories to share about their universities and their new friends and their crazy professors. It was just a very fun, family-filled holiday. I hope yours was just as fun!   
As for you P.S. inquiry, if you’re looking for a series, have you heard of the _Throne of Glass_ novels? If you like fantasy stories, you might like these ones. There’s magic involved, and the love triangle isn’t cheesy or annoying. The love triangle is actually used correctly, if I may say so. The whole book is pretty well balanced between action, romance, mystery, and comedy… and a lot of other elements that make a book awesome. Give it a read!  
Now for my answers: 1.) I’ve always loved Maleficent. 2.) I’ve always loved soft serve ice cream better than hand dipped. So chocolate is probably my favorite. 3.) I am also a night person! 4.) My dream job would be to work in Disney World. I don’t care as what: character, parade dancer, lifeguard, sales associate, janitor, etc. I’d just love to work there. I’m looking at applying for their college program, but we’ll see if it works out. 5.) I listen to a lot of pop music, and I’m really into acoustic covers of pop songs right now. But I’ll listen to anything, really. Of course, I love my Disney and show tunes too!   
And here are more questions: 1.) Favorite Broadway musical? ( _Wicked_ will always hold a special place in my heart.) 2.) If you could live in any fantasy universe, where would you want to live? (I’d personally love to go to Hogwarts…) 3.) Are you an outdoorsy person? (I’m not… I do like to be outside and go camping and stuff, but I couldn’t do that all the time.) 4.) Favorite holiday? (Halloween’s my favorite.) 5.) Favorite role you’ve ever played in a show and/or your dream role? (My favorite was Mulan in _Mulan Jr._ (which was about five years ago, but she’s such a fun character to play!) And my dream role would probably be Elphaba from _Wicked_ , cause I mean, who wouldn’t want to be her?)  
Hope to hear from you soon!

-Mikasa

~

“This is so boring!” Jean whined, falling backwards onto his bed. When he and Marco had made plans to learn their lines, Jean must’ve forgotten how agonizingly boring it was to learn lines. 

“But this is how we’re going to memorize these long-ass speeches,” Marco said encouragingly, holding up his script as if it were a glorious trophy. “Repeating them over and over again until our brains short circuit.”

“Well, I don’t think my brain’s short circuiting now,” Jean said, rubbing at his eyes. 

“We’ve only been working for twenty minutes,” Marco laughed. 

“Yeah, twenty minutes of Shakespearian dialogue,” Jean pointed out. “This shit’s hard.”

“Only if you make it hard.”

“Marco, that doesn’t make any sense. Shakespeare’s English is difficult for the modern man to understand, and the iambic pentameter is messing with my head,” Jean argued back.

“Wow, maybe your brain is fried. You never talk that eloquently,” Marco marveled in response. Jean reached behind him for a pillow and threw it at Marco. “Ah! Hey! What was that for?”

“For insulting my powers of eloquence,” Jean retorted. Marco snorted, rolling his eyes as he picked up the pillow and tossed it at Jean. The fair-haired boy caught it with ease. “Come on, let’s take a break. I don’t think I can memorize anymore right now.”

“Alright, alright,” Marco conceded, closing his script and moving to sit down on the bed next to Jean. “We can take a break for a few minutes.”

“Yay!” Jean cheered halfheartedly, still lying back on the bed. Marco peered down at him. Jean smiled up at him, but something wasn’t quite right. The smile wasn’t authentic, didn’t reach his eyes. 

And Marco could see right through it. He’d always been able to read Jean like a book; his emotions were always written plain as day on his face if you looked hard enough. Beyond that, Jean’s emotions could be read even easier in his attitude. Jean’s main line of defense was standoffish arrogance, his second anger, and his third humor, often of the self-deprecating variety. Marco could tell when something was really bothering Jean when they’d descended past the humor stage and into the realm of forced smiles and pensive eyes. 

“Are you still disappointed that you aren’t Romeo?” Marco asked. Jean turned to look at him, seeing a warm sincerity that meant that Marco wasn’t playing around anymore. It was a look that Jean had only seen a few times before, one that seemed to see inside of him, and he’d seen the brunette use it on anyone he knew needed a good talk. It was a special power Marco had. 

And a little part of him smiled at the thought that Marco cared enough about him to use that power on him now. 

“Yeah, a little bit,” Jean admitted. He’d never been able to lie to Marco when the brunette got into this soul searcher mode. 

“Is it because you want to kiss Mikasa?” Marco asked. 

“Not really, but that would have been nice,” Jean said in reply, staring up at the ceiling with a small chuckle. 

“Do you still like her?”

Jean shrugged. “A little bit. She’ll always be that first crush, you know?” Marco nodded. Jean sighed, shifting uncomfortably as he felt words he didn’t want to say accumulating on his tongue. “But it’s… it’s not that. It’s really more of a pride thing. I’d rather be the lead than a side character any day, and I just… You know I’m not the greatest singer or dancer. Sure, I _can_ sing and dance, but not as well as you or Bertholdt or even Connie. I feel like I had a better chance at actually getting a lead role this time. And I was really hoping it would work out.”

Marco clicked his tongue sympathetically. “Jean, how long have you felt that way?”

Jean shrugged noncommittally. “I don’t know. Every now and then since the list went up.”

“I meant about not being good enough.”

“I didn’t say…”

“You implied it.”

Jean paused, looking up at Marco again. He found the same warmth in those brown eyes staring back at him. Marco looked worried, sad even. Jean felt his own heart breaking at the thought of what must’ve been running through the brunette’s head. 

“I’ve felt that way since about sophomore year,” the fair-haired boy admitted. 

Marco’s eyes widened momentarily before he put on a soft smile. “Well, I think you’ve been given an amazing opportunity here.” Questioning hazel eyes begged him to elaborate. “Everyone expects Romeo to be good because he’s the lead. No one knows what to expect from Benvolio. So now you have the chance to blow them away with how awesome you are, catch them by surprise and really stand out in their memories as a Benvolio that refuses to be limited to his few lines. The audience loves a side character that makes himself stand out. And I know you can be that side character, Jean. You have leading man talent. Just channel it into a secondary role, and you’ll shine.”

Jean smiled, feeling ridiculously inadequate when all he could say in response was a muttered: “Thanks Marco.” 

The brunette didn’t seem to mind though, simply returning the smile. He moved away from the bed to go back to memorizing his lines, but Jean could still feel his presence as Marco’s voice filled the space around them. Jean still hadn’t been able to figure out what good thing he’d done in life to deserve a best friend like Marco. But boy, was he glad he’d done it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for Chapter Three, coming soon!
> 
> Check me out on [Link tumblr](http://pretty-eyes-jaeger.tumblr.com) if you'd like to continue nerding out about the 104th dorks!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed chapter one. I promise that chapter two will dive more into the characters and relationships and all that jazz. 
> 
> If you're interested, you can look me up on [tumblr](http://pretty-eyes-jaeger.tumblr.com) to share in more nerdiness and such with me over there. 
> 
> Have a great day!


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